Of Kitchen Knives and Magic
by wingedauthoress14
Summary: Belle discovers there's more to Rumple than just dark magic, and all it took was a moment of clumsiness with a kitchen knife.


A/N: Hello my fellow Oncers! It's been a while since I've written some fanfiction and I've missed it. I've also been quite taken with the Rumbelle ship since I saw "Skin Deep" in Season 1. I hope you enjoy this fanfic!

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Golden trails of sunlight streamed in from the tall, Gothic windows of the Dark Castle's kitchen. Belle couldn't help but smirk slightly. For such an infamous name, the castle was truly not as dark as it seemed- just like its other occupant. Wherever he was.

The kitchen's vaulted ceilings echoed with the chopping sounds of her knife on the wooden cutting board. But with a fire flickering merrily in the stone hearth, the girl found herself quite at home. It reminded her of another time- a past life, it seemed- before her mother died.

Despite having scullery maids and cooks to prepare meals for them, Belle's mother often took her into the kitchens and showed her how to cook. Her mother maintained that the reason was because she wanted to show Belle how to care for herself, if she ever needed to. Being self-sufficient, she once said, was a trait royals didn't practice nearly often enough.

Belle gathered the neatly cut greens and dropped them into a heavy, cast-iron pot which held the rest of the stew. Lord knows where she would have been in her new environment without self-sufficiency. As strange as it sounded, however, she couldn't bring herself to dislike her new home. Yes…that was what it was now…home. After removing the heavy drapes from the windows, the castle itself felt transformed into a new place entirely.

Rumple, too, seemed to take on a similar transformation, though it didn't show outright. He discovered Belle's love of books when he caught her flipping through a worn leatherback in the study when she was supposed to have been cleaning. Ever since then, she had been finding new books in various rooms he requested she clean on certain days.

She took the pot by the handle and carried it over to the hearth, careful not to spill any of the contents on the floor. After the stew was set to cook, Belle swept up the remnants of cut up vegetables with a rag and ran clean water over the cutting board.

It was quite interesting to see Rumple's change in demeanor, fleeting as it was. She knew there was good in him- she could see it gathering in his eyes as his hands thoughtfully turned his spinning wheel. Whatever he told her he was trying to forget, it certainly didn't seem to do him harm as he spun straw into gold.

Lost in thought, Belle picked up the knife and ran clean water over it, not noticing how near the blade was to her palm until she felt a slicing burn.

"Oh!" she gasped as bright red blood fled from the cut in her hand, mingling with the cool, clear water. Grimacing, she set the knife down on the table and looked about for something to wrap her hand in.

"Everything all right, dearie?" Belle spun around, startled, and found Rumple standing behind her.

"Oh, yes, I just cut myself, that's all," she hastily explained, showing him her hand where the blood began to gather in her cupped fingers. "I, um…I didn't even hear you come in."

"Mmmm…let me see that hand of yours," Rumple took her hand in his.

"I'm fine- I just need a rag or something," Belle said as Rumple waved his right hand over the cut, making the blood and stinging disappear. All that was left was a faint line where the blade had bit her.

Belle gasped. In spite of her objection to magic, she couldn't help but be amazed at its wonders.

"There," Rumple said, a small smile playing on his lips. "All better?"

"Yes," Belle returned his smile with one of her own. "Thank you." She looked down at her hand, a small spark jumping in her heart once she realized he still held it in his own.

He must have noticed the same, for a second later he gave a slight cough and let go.

"I…I can't believe how well that worked," Belle admitted, admiring her newly healed palm. Rumple surprised her yet again by taking her hand back gently.

"Magic doesn't always harm, dearie," he said, his eyes on the healed injury, running his finger along the faint line. He turned his eyes up to face her. "Even the Dark One has potential to use magic for good," he smirked. "If he so chooses."

Belle put her other hand on top of his, giving him a genuine smile. "Well you did. And I'm glad."


End file.
